Why You Need To Stop Drinking Diet Soda Right Now

Diet drinks have been around for more than 60 years. Although are called “diet” drinks, this drinks were actually aimed at diabetics, and not people who were on a diet. That’s the reason why the drink was advertised as sugar-free. Slowly but surely, the industry developed into the giant it is today. However, although it contains no sugar, there are other health risks that we should be taking into consideration.

It confuses your body: Although calorie-free, drinking more than one diet soda per day could lead to increased bodyweight. How? Two simple reasons: psychological and physiological. Just the thought that you’re having a calorie-free drink will easily justify that 2nd cheeseburger. More than that, the artificial sweeteners used in the production of these drinks have been shown to have the same effect as natural sugar.

It increases your risk to develop type II diabetes: Studies show that drinking just one can of diet soda per day increases your chances to develop type II diabetes by a whopping 25%. Like that wasn’t enough, the same can would increase your risk of developing metabolic syndrome by 36%. This syndrome is a clustering of 5 conditions: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, obesity, and high glucose levels. I don’t know anyone who would risk having any of these conditions.

It may cause you a heart attack: If you’re not afraid of diabetes or high blood pressure, know that the risk of cardiac problems such as heart attacks or strokes is more than 40% higher for diet soda drinkers, even when compared to normal soda drinkers.

It could lead to depression: A recent study shows that people who drink more than 4 cans of diet soda per day have a higher risk of depression than people who don’t drink diet soda at all. The 30% risk increase is something to consider, especially when we’re talking about a seemingly harmless drink.

It has zero nutritional value: Because it has zero calories, it also has zero nutritional value for your body. Think about it. If you’re thirsty, you should be drinking water. And if you’re all about the fizziness, you should give sparkling water a chance. Sure, the taste may not be the same, but the benefits of water over soda are undoubtable.

It will ruin your white smile: Both diet and normal sodas can be blamed for this. Studies show that there’s not much difference between the teeth of a regular diet soda drinker and those of meth and cocaine users. The reasons diet soda ruins your teeth? Citric acid. Over time, citric acid damages your tooth enamel, so while you wouldn’t have to worry right away, an extended period of soda drinking will definitely damage your teeth.

It could ruin your skin: The acidity in each diet soda is responsible for lowering your pH levels. While this may not sound like much, it’s actually extremely important to your organism and your skin. Low pH levels cause accelerated aging, and are one of the main causes of acne. If you’re still a teenager, it could spell disaster for your skin.

These are just 7 of the most important health risks caused by diet soda. Just because something tastes good, doesn’t make it healthy. Choose wisely, especially when it could damage your health.